Odyssey plans to journey beyond the Med to cruise to India and SE Asia

Odyssey plans to journey beyond the Med to cruise to India and SE Asia

Monday morning will see me flying to the Med for a short trip on Aegean Odyssey – I’m particularly looking forward to touring Pompeii and Herculaneum in the company of Cambridge classics professor Mary Beard whose book on Pompeii was the basis for her TV documentary focussing on the seedier side of life in the Roman town.
The cruise I took on the ship last year from Venice to Dubrovnik introduced me to some beautiful parts of Croatia and to Dame Rebecca West’s weighty tome Black Lamb and Grey Falcon, a portrait of Yugoslavia in the 1930s.
Next week should be equally fascinating – Prof Beard writes a widely-read blog filled with gossip about a don’s life, and a journalist colleague who studied under her at Newnham College tells me I should expect “an interesting experience.”
If I get the chance to return to the Voyages to Antiquity ship in 2012, I could be in for even more enlightenment; Aegean Odyssey will be sailing its first winter season, and is venturing beyond the Mediterranean to travel to south-east Asia, India and the South Pacific.
Land and sea packages will include a five-day tour of India’s Golden Triangle, including the Taj Mahal and a two-day trip from Bangkok to the temples of Angkor Wat in Cambodia.
The programme begins in November with a cruise from Mumbai to Colombo, Sri Lanka; continues to Singapore, Rangoon (Yangon), Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), Ha Long Bay and Hong Kong. Then it’s on to Bali and Indonesia before returning to Delhi in March 2013
Voyages to Antiquity cruises all provide free excursions in every port; gratuities, and wine, beer and soft drinks with dinner are included in the fare.
The company, founded by veteran cruise entrepreneur Gerry Herrod, has until now specialised in destination-intensive cruises to classical sites in the Mediterranean, with a programme of experienced and entertaining lecturers. Many of the itineraries are inspired by Lord John Julius Norwich’s book The Middle Sea.
There’s a casual atmosphere among the 350 passengers on board, with open-seating dining and a relaxing bar – although travellers are more likely to make for an early bed ready for an early start exploring the next morning.
Watch out next week for my updates from Palermo, Salerno, Pompeii and Herculaneum – it’s going to be fun. And you might want to check out Professor Beard has to say as well.